Hollow walled folding boxes



Aug. 2, 1955 A. E. RANDLES 2,714,483

HOLLOW WALLED FOLDING BOXES Filed NOV. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- Hmm '5. 18mm ML. ATTORNEY Aug. 2, 1955 A. E. RANDLES 2,714,483

HOLLOW WALLED FOLDING BOXES Filed Nov. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR.

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4M ATTORNEY Aug. 2, 1955 A. E. RANDLES 2,714,483

HOLLOW WALLED FOLDING BOXES Filed NOV. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

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A TTOR/VE) United States Patent Office 2,714,483 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 2,714,483 HOLLOW WALLED FOLDING BOXES Arthur E. Randles, Redwood City, Calif, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Baljak Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application November 26, 1952, Serial No. 322,610 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-31) This invention relates to improvements in folding boxes i place in the folding box field and are especially popular for the packaging and the visual display of merchandise which is decoratively accepted by the frame effect of the hollow walls around the packaged article. In addition, hollow-walled folding boxes are valued because of the protective cushioning nature of the hollow wall.

As far as I am aware, it has heretofore been necessary to assemble hollow-walled folding boxes by hand. The construction of the end walls, and particularly the construction of the box corners of conventional hollowwalled folding boxes is relatively complex and does not lend itself to handling on automatic high-speed machines.

The necessity of manual assembly increases the cost of the box and limits its application to fields where the relatively high cost of such boxes can be absorbed in the sale of the merchandise.

The slowness of assembly of conventional hollow walled folding boxes necessitates assembling and storing of boxes in advance where large numbers of boxes are needed from time to time, since the slowness of the manual assembly cannot keep up with the rapid demand of boxes for filling with merchandise and shipping. In such instances, the cost of the box is further increased by the need of considerable amounts of storage space for assembled boxes.

The present invention provides a box construction suited for automatic assembly on relatively simple highspeed machinery of the plunger-and-die type.

More particularly, the new and improved box construction includes panel portions on the side wall assembly which automatically move in line with the end wall assembly when the side walls are being erected, without necessity of separate folding operations for the purpose of moving such panels or panel portions into their proper position with regard to the end wall assembly, as was required in hollow-walled boxes of prior design.

These and various other features, objects and advantages of this invention will appear more fully from the detailed description which follows, accompanied by drawings showing, for the purpose of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the invention. The invention also resides in certain new and original features of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the characteristic features of this invention, which are believed to be novel, will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of it in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a preferred form of blank for constructing a box embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank of Fig. 1 after an initial folding and gluing operation;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blank of Fig. 2 after erection of the side walls;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the blank at a further advanced phase of the assembly, at the beginning of the folding operation performed on the end Wall;

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of subsequent stages in the assembly of the side walls; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the completed box.

in the following description and in the claims various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. The names, however, are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit. Corresponding reference characters refer to corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

in the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for the purpose of explanation of broader aspects of the invention, but it is understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the principles of the invention, and that the invention may be applied to other structures than the one shown.

Referring now to the drawings, the blank A shown in Fig. l consists of suitable, foldable sheet material, paperboard for example, and may be cut and scored, in muiti pie, from larger sheets or rolls of stock on conventional cutting and creasing equipment. Only one side of the board need be finished or decoratively imprinted, since only one side of the board is exposed to view when the box is finished.

The blank comprises a bottom panel opposite sides by end fold lines 12 and fold lines 14 and 15, respectively.

A series of articulated panels extend hingedly from the bottom panel 11. An outer end panel 16, an end top panel 17 and an inner end panel 18 constitute one series of end Wall panels, the panels being articulated along fold lines 19 and 20.

On the opposite end of the blank an outer end panel 21 is articulated to the bottom panel 11 along the end fold line 13, and an end top panel 22 is articulated to the outer end panel 21 along an outer top fold line 24. An inner end panel 23 is articulated to the end top panel 22 along an inner top fold line 25.

Preferably, although not necessarily, the top end panels 17 and 22 are cut dicated at 26, 27, 28 and 29.

A series of side panels 30, 31, 32 and 33 extend from the bottom panel 11 along the side fold line 14'. The panel 30 is an outer side panel, the panel 31 is a top side panel, the panel 32 is an inner side panel, and the panel 33 is a base panel, the lines of articulation between these panels being an outer top side fold line 34, an inner top fold line 35, and an inner base fold line 36.

Similarly, a series of side panels 37, 38, 39 and extend from the opposite side of the blank along the side fold line 15. Panel 37 constitutes an outer side panel, panel 38 is a top side panel, panel 39 is an inner side panel, and panel 40 is a base panel. The lines of articulation between the several panels are an outer top side fold line 41, an inner top side fold line 42. and an inner base fold line 43.

As is apparent from the drawing, 32 and 39 are shorter than the top to which they are articulated.

The top panels 31 and 38 are substantially U-shaped and have tab portions extending along the end edges of the inner side panels. Thus, tabs 44 and 45 are formed 11 bounded on 13, and by side the side edges of on the bias as inthe inner side panels side panels 31 and 38 3 by cuts 46 and 47 extending to the ends of the inner top side fold line and forming outer cut edges on the inner side panel 32.

Similarly, tabs 48 and 49 are bordered by cuts and 51, extending to the ends of the inner top fold lines 42. The cuts 46, 47, 50 and 51 are substantially parallel to the end fold lines 12 and 13.

Preferably, the tabs 44, 4'5, 48 and 49 are reinforced and stiffened in the completed box by flaps 52, 53, 54 and 55, respectively. These flaps are articulated to the respective tabs along flap fold lines 56, 57, 58 and 59, respectively.

A preferred corner construction incorporated in the illustrated form of blank comprises gusset panels 60, 61, 62 and 63. These gusset panels have diagonally extending crease lines 64, 65, 6 6and 67 and are articulated to the sides of the respective outer wall panels l6, 2%, 30 and 37 along extensions of the end fold lines 12, 1.3 and extensions of the side fold lines 15 and 15 respectively.

With regard to preferred dimensions, it may be stated that the base panels 33 and 48 may be made large enough to serve as top liners for the bottom panel 11, so as to cover the bottom of the box completely, unless the finished appearance of the bottom of the box is of sec- 5 ondary consideration and it is permissible for the unfinished side of the board to be exposed in the finished box.

The width of the base panels measured between the edges 68, 69 and 70, 71 is preferably, although not necessarily, made equal to the comparative dimension of the bottom panel 11. So dimensioned, the edges 68, 69, 7t) and 71 serve as folding rules during the assembly of the box as will later appear.

The cut edges 46, 47, 50 and 51 are preferably spaced 7 from the extension of the end fold lines 12 and 13, a

distance equal to the thickness of the end walls, in which event the outer edges of the inner side panels 32 and 39 serve as abutment edges, against which tab extensions 72, 73, 74 and 75 on the inner end panels 18 and 23 may rest.

The blank A shown in Fig. 1 may be assembled into box form as follows:

Adhesive a is first applied to the base panels 33 and 40 and the blank is then folded along the outer top side fold lines 34 and 41 to bring the base panels 33 and 48 into adhesive engagement with the bottom panel 11. This operation may be performed on conventional straight-line gluing machines and the resultant pre-glued collapsed, and partly tubular blank A, is shown in Fig. 2. The blank A may be stored and shipped in collapsed fiat condition and may be squared and assembled into hollow box form on relatively simple automatic machinery of the plunger and die type, performing substantially the following operations:

The side walls are first squared as shown in Fig. 3. This operation brings the inner and outer side panels into upright position with regard to the bottom panel. Simultaneously, and automatically, the tab etxensions 44, 45, 48 and 49 move into a position in line with the end walls to be formed. This is the result of the U- shape of the top side panels 31 and 38, which was previously described. The assembly of the side walls is thus completed by one simple folding operation, and the assembly of the end walls is prepared by moving the end walls supporting tabs 44, 45, 4S and 49 into their proper position. The assembly of the end walls may now proceed as follows:

The stiffening flaps 52, 53, 54 and are folded along their respective flap fold lines 56, 57, 58 and 59. This is illustrated in Fig. 4, 3 which shows that as a result the extensions 44, 52; 45, 53; 48, 54 and 49, 55 become structures of angular cross-section afllording considerable stiffness.

Substantially simultaneously, or immediately thereafter, the gusset panels 60, 61, 62 and 63 are being creased along their respective diagonal crease lines 64, 65, 66 and 67. Also, the outer end panels 16 and 21 are moved towards their final upright position with regard to the bottom panel 11 now reinforced by the base panels 33 and 40. It is apparent from Fig. 4 that the outer edges 68, 69, 70 and 71 form folding rules facilitating the folding of the outer end panels 16 and 21 along the end fold lines 12 and 13, respectively.

Fig. 5 illustrates the box structure in the condition in which the outer end walls are upright with regard to the bottom structure. Also, the gusset panels 60, 61, 62 and 63 are completely folded and rest against the respective tab reinforcing flaps as seen at 54.

The end panels are then folded along the end top fold lines 19 and 24 to bring the top end panels 17 and 22 over the reinforced tab extensions 44, 45, 48 and 49. This operation is illustrated in Fig. 6, which also shows the diagonal position of the bias-cut edges 26, 27, 28 and 7 29 at the box corners.

As a final operation, the inner end wall panels 18 and 23 are folded along their fold lines 20 and 25. During this folding operation the panels 18 and 23 bow slightly as indicated at 18 in Fig. 6. The bowing occurs by reason of the fact that the inner end panels, at their widest portion, namely at their tab extensions 72, 73, 74 and 75, are wider than the space between the upright inner side walls 32 and 39. As soon as the inner end panels 18 and 23 reach their final upright position with regard to the bottom, the extensions 72, 73, 74 and 75 snap past, and engage the respective side edges 46, 47, 5t) and 51. Only one of these edges is visible in the drawing at 50.

The box A is now fully assembled and is automatically locked against re-collapsing. It will be noted that a the inner end wall panels 18 and 23 engage the inwardly facing edges 76, 77, 78 and 79 of the tab extensions 44, 45, 48 and 49 (see Fig. 4). The inner end wall panels 18 and 23 are thus secure against outwardly directed pressure by the box contents. This construction greatly increases the strength and the stiffness of the box.

The invention thus provides an improved, yet simple, construction of hollow-walled boxes permitting machine assembly of a form of box which heretofore required time consuming and expensive assembly by hand.

What is claimed is:

l. A hollow-walled folding box made from a single blank of foldable sheet material and suited for automatic machine assembly, the box comprising, a bottom panel; outer end wall panels articulated to opposite ends of the bottom panel; a top end panel articulated to each of said outer end wall panels; the ends of the top end panels being cut on a bias; an inner end wall panel articulated to each of said top end panels, said inner end wall panel being narrower than the outer end wall panel; a pair of outer side wall panels articulated to opposite sides of the bottom panel; a top side panel articulated to each of said outer side wall panels, the top side panel having an angular extending tab at each end underlying the top end panel in the completed box, the tab extending a substantial distance beyond the inner edge of the top side panel;

a flap articulated to the ends of said top side panels and the entire extent of the tabs thereof along a fold line normal to the line of articulation between said top side panel and said outer side panel, said flap lying substantially parallel to the outer end wall panel in the finished box to reinforce said tab against flexing; an inner side wall panel articulated to each of said top side panels, its line of articulation to the top side panel being shorter than the line of articulation between the top side panel and the outer side wall panel; a gusset panel at each box corner, said gusset panel having a diagonal crease line, each of said gusset panels being articulated to an outer side wall panel and an outer end wall panel, respectively, along lines of articulation forming a right angle; and a base panel articulated to each of said inner said base panel being secured to said b 2. The corner construction of a foldin prises, a main panel; an oute to the main panel along an 0 panel articulated to the oute parallel to said outer end f articulated to the top end pa to said outer end fold line; culated to the main panel extending to and at an angl end fold line; a top side outer side wall panel along to said outer side fold line; culated to said top side w fold line; said top side pan lying the top end panel top fold line terminating reason shorter than said 0 tending substantially at t said top side panel as th fold line and said outer a substantial distance b side wall panels,

g box which comr end wall panel articulated uter end fold line; a top end r end panel along a fold line ld line; an inner end panel nel along a fold line parallel an outer side wall panel arti along an outer side fold line e with regard to the said outer wall panel articulated to the an outer top fold line parallel an inner side wall panel artiall panel along an inner top el having a tab thereon underin set-up condition, said inner at said tab and being for this uter top fold line, said tab exhe same angle with respect to e angle between said outer end side fold line, said tab extending eyond the inner edge of said top side panel; a flap articulated to the end of said top side wall panel and to said tab along the entire extent of said tab at a tab fold line substantially parallel to said outer end fold line, said flap extending substantially parallel to the outer end wall panel in the assembled box corner to reinforce said tab against flexing; a gusset panel having a diagonal crease line, said gusset panel being articulated to said outer side wall panel and to said outer end wall panel; and a base panel articulated to said inner side wall panel along an inner bottom fold line parallel to said inner top fold line, said base panel being secured to said main panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,146,827 Ware July 20, 1915 1,906,622 Kondolf May 2, 1933 2,130,602 Smith Sept. 20, 1938 2,308,818 Levkofl Jan. 19, 1943 2,345,716 Smith Apr. 4, 1944 2,397,934 Frankenstein Apr. 9, 1946 2,618,887 Frankenstein Nov. 25, 1952 

